Mix of heroin, alcohol caused death of ex-Navy SEALs

The men, one from Fallbrook, were security officers on the Maersk Alabama cargo ship

Results of toxicology tests show that a mixture of heroin and alcohol caused the deaths of two former U.S. Navy SEALs, one from Fallbrook, who had been working as security officers on a cargo ship, Seychelles police said.

A news release on the deaths of Mark Kennedy and Jeffrey Reynolds, both 44, was posted Tuesday on the website for the Seychelles Police Force.

Kennedy and Reynolds had been working on the Maersk Alabama when they were found dead in a cabin on Feb. 18 in Port Victoria in Seychelles, a nation of islands in the Indian Ocean off Africa.

The ship became famous when it was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009, an event later depicted in the movie "Captain Phillips" starring Tom Hanks.

Reynolds lived in Fallbrook, along with his ex-wife, child and parents.

The statement said police seized from the cabin some pills, syringes and a substance later determined to have traces of heroin. Initial autopsy results had indicated both men died of heart failure.

Based on further forensic analysis on their stomach contents and blood samples, a pathologist determined the heart failure was due to "a combination of heroin and alcohol consumption," the statement said.

There was no trace of poison and foul play has been ruled out, the statement said. The heroin had a purity of 44 percent, police said.

The case has been forwarded to the Attorney General's Office in Seychelles for further review, the statement said.

The Maersk Alabama, based in Norfolk, Va., employs security contractors to provide anti-piracy services. Reynolds and Kennedy worked for the Trident Group, a maritime security company founded by former SEALs.

Reynolds enlisted in the Navy 1990 and was assigned to a West Coast-based special warfare unit. He was discharged in 2000.